Factors related to HIV/tuberculosis coinfection in a Brazilian reference hospital

Abstract

Infection with both Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) and Mycobacterium tuberculosis is currently the world's leading cause of death due to infectious agents. We evaluated factors related to the development of tuberculosis (TB) in HIV-infected patients who were being treated at an infectious diseases hospital in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil. From January 2004 to December 2005, we made an epidemiological study through the analysis of the medical records of 171 patients, who were diagnosed as having both HIV and tuberculosis. Among these co-infected patients, most (81%, p=0.0006) were male. Co-infection was more frequent (87.8%) among patients over 40 years of age and those with lower educational levels (less than eight years of schooling). Forty-one percent of the patients in the study had not had a smear culture test for acid-fast bacilli (AFB). CD4 cell counts were lower than 200 cells/µ µ µ µ µL in 71.9% of the patients, the mean being 169 cells/µ µ µ µ µL. This type of data is important for establishing strategies to improve the control of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients.

Epidemiological characteristics and clinical outcome of HIV-related tuberculosis in a population of TB patients in South-Western Nigeria

“…This is comparable to findings of several other studies where the peak age of coinfection ranged from 31–40 to 41–50 [12, 15, 16, 17]. In contrast, a lower age group was reported by Thanh et al [18].…”

Outcomes of TB Treatment by HIV Status in National Recording Systems in Brazil, 2003–2008

“…Although this is a limitation of our study, it points to the need for future research that can potentially be carried out by linkage of national TB and HIV/AIDS programs databases on a national level. Work has previously been carried out in Brazil on the effect of ART on outcomes of people living with HIV and the effect of ART on TB incidence [15], [16] and on factors associated with co-infection itself [17], [18]. However, less attention has been paid to the effect of HIV status on TB treatment outcomes.…”

Fatores associados à tuberculose pulmonar em pacientes que procuraram serviços de saúde de referência para tuberculose

“…Carvalho et al found that tuberculosis/HIV co-infection was significantly more common among patients over 40 years of age and among those with a lower level of education (i.e., fewer than 8 years of schooling). (6) In our study, although HIV testing was offered to all of the patients who were suspected of having tuberculosis, only 141 (60.5%) agreed to be tested. This underscores the importance of policy decisions targeting that specific population.…”

“…(4) Similarly, various studies have investigated the impact of demographic, socioeconomic, and cultural factors on active tuberculosis, (5) as well as variables related to the development of tuberculosis in HIV-infected patients. (6) Given the high worldwide incidence of respiratory diseases and the millions of people with latent tuberculosis, a 2-3 week history of cough in patients residing or working in areas where tuberculosis is common is a finding that can contribute to earlier diagnosis, thus improving the outcomes and reducing the transmission of the disease. (7) In a study involving patients seeking medical attention at a primary health care clinic in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the authors compared those with cough for ≥ 1 week and those with cough for ≥ 3 weeks in terms of the impact of tuberculosis screening on the rate of diagnosis.…”